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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · deal · stick · rush · cabinet · cell · bore · branch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. net — for catching
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — in sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cell — a phone
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — after costs
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com